Heart of Flames Eternal
by Undertaker-TheReaper
Summary: Lucy loves her job at Fairy Tail Industries. Her colleges are a rowdy bunch, but there's one who stands out and never ceases to make her blush when in her presence: Natsu. Will what transpires make or break them? A mostly Lucy x Natsu fanfic with a bit of Levy x Gajeel as is is my first ever fanfic so any reviews would help a lot :D -Incomplete
1. I Hope They Hit it Off

**Chapter One**

_(Lucy's POV)_

Burning. Everything is burning.

I'm gasping for air as I stumble around, blindly searching for an exit.

My body gives way and I collapse onto the floor. I give up and just lay there, choking and trembling. No one is coming to my aid. I am alone.

"Lucy…"

I whip my head around frantically as I search for the source of the familiar voice.

"Lucy! Come on get up! We have to go!" I hear the woman's voice again, this time more clearly.

"Mum, is that you?" I whisper as my eyes slowly begin to open and come into focus.

I awaken to find my roommate shaking me gently by the shoulder. I must have slept through my alarm… again. The clock reads '7:42am'.

"Lucy if you don't get up now we're going to be late!"

"Right!" I answer automatically as I dive out of bed, grab my usual short blue skirt, collared blue and white top and long black boots from the closet and make a beeline for the bathroom. After dressing myself, I give my teeth a thorough scrub and tie a side-section of my hair up in my trademark blue ribbon.

"I'm going to leave without you!" I hear Levy call from the front door. Snatching my handbag and an apple from the kitchen, I sprint to meet Levy at the car, being sure to lock the front door on the way.

"Thanks for waiting Levy," I express cheerfully, and flash the cutest smile I could manage.

"No problem Lucy, but next time I really will leave without you."

"You're the best!" I decree, and am rewarded with a bright smile.

* * *

I clock in at precisely 7:59am.

"Whew! SAFE!" I exclaim, and my workmates all turn and cheer simultaneously. The office is as rowdy as ever it would seem.

"Cutting it kind of close there huh Luce? That's not like you."

Caught off guard I whirl to find a beaming Natsu with a cup of coffee in one hand and various folders and documents in the other. He's looking as gorgeous as ever, dressed in the usual black white and gold, with his treasured white scarf hanging loosely from his neck. I could feel a heated flush creep its way up my cheeks. Crap. I hope he doesn't notice.

"Uh yeah, well um I was just..." I begin, before being abruptly interrupted.

"You lot get to work immediately, or I'll have you work unpaid overtime," Erza announces coolly from the doorway of the boss's office. Erza is the assistant manager here at Fairy Tail Industries, and boy can she be scary when she wants to be.

"Well, I guess I'll catch you later," Natsu says, before turning and striding over to his desk at the other side of the office. Letting out a breathy sigh, I begin to saunter over to my own. I struggle to supress the idiotic grin beginning to take over my face as I take my seat, rest my face in my hands and begin to daydream.

"Got a colossal crush on him huh?" Grey smirks from his desk opposite mine.

"What!? No way!" I snap defensively, instinctively rising from my seat and assuming a defensive position.

"Are you kidding me? It's so obvious. Your face is redder than a beetroot!" he taunts.

"Shut up! No its not!" I yell and hurl my old half-eaten apple core at the arrogant jerk. It sails straight and true and collides with his forehead.

"Like it matters anyway," he growls, "He'd never go out with someone like you."

"Someone like me!?" I snap.

"That's enough you two" Makarov asserts firmly.

Oh crap it's the boss! "I'm sorry sir," I manage. I take a seat and begin organising the day's work. I glare at Grey, who swiftly returns the favour. Dropping my gaze I begin to furiously tap away at the desktop keyboard.

This is going to be a long day.

* * *

Levy said she'd meet me in the break room for lunch today. I hope she hasn't been waiting too long… Just then I feel the sensation of something cold brush against the small of my back. I yelp and strike out at the perpetrator, who dodges my blows by the skin of his teeth. Ugh it's Loke.

"Woah! You almost got me!" Loke feigns a shocked expression.

"Don't touch me! What do you want Loke?" I demand. God he's such a pervert!

"I just wanted to see my darling girl out for lunch. Say, do you want to grab a drink after work tonight? Great! I'll meet you at Queen Decims at 8?" He's so damn full of himself it's repulsive!

"I won't be there. I have plans," I announce proudly.

"Oh yeah, like what?" he enquires.

"None of your business!" I yell, and strut off to the break room where Levy is doubtless patiently waiting. I check to make sure he hasn't followed. Great, he's nowhere to be seen. I sigh a breath of relief and spot Levy already eating at a nearby table.

"Hey!" I call as I toddle on over. "Can I get you a drink? My shout."

"Sure thanks. I'll have the usual," she chirps. I punch in the numbers for a lemonade for myself, and a peach iced tea for Levy. Still I am fuming over the earlier incident with Grey and run in with the uncontrollable flirt Loke, and I tell Levy the story.

"But you do like him? Natsu I mean." She jests.

"Is it really that obvious?" I question doubtfully.

"I see you gawking at him from time to time," she coos and takes a sip of her iced tea.

I can't help but smile to myself. I like Natsu… I mean I really like like him. Whenever he's around I blush bright red, and I prattle on like a complete moron. I mean who wouldn't? The guy is gorgeous, kind, strong, funny… Ah I could just melt!

I change the subject. "So what about you? You have a secret crush that I don't know about?" I joke.

Levy goes still, and a flush becomes apparent on her face. She looks down at her shoes in embarrassment.

"Who is it? Jet? Droy? Who?" I plead. I cannot contain my excitement for my best friend/ roommate.

She hesitates before simply whispering "Gajeel."

"Gajeel?!" I splutter, almost falling from my chair. "Really?! As in the weird, scary guy that doesn't seem to know how to smile?!"

Levy jumps up and looks around frantically. "Shhhh Luce," she hushes. "Not so loud!"

"Sorry Lev, but why?" I ask curiously.

"I don't know Luce. He's really kind to me and he's got the tall, dark and handsome thing going…" she gushes.

"Fair enough I suppose," I say, just as Gajeel himself walks in and begins to make a pot of coffee. Today he is dressed rather sharply in navy and silver, his facial piercings glittering under the fluorescent light.

"Hey Gajeel!" I call out and wave, only to have Levy snatch my wrist and hold it down by my sides. She shoots silent daggers in my direction.

"Oh hey… Lucy." He replies glumly. Then his face lightens up and his posture straightens as he catches sight of Levy. He smiles shyly at her, and she returns the sentiment. They stare at each other for a while…. Well this is awkward.

I turn to Levy and smile, "Well, I'll see you when you get home Lev. I think I'd like to walk home tonight, and get some fresh air." And I walk out without waiting for her response.

I hope they hit it off.

* * *

End Chapter One

Yay I'm so excited to have finished the first chapter! Plenty more where that came from! Sorry it's so short :D

Please go ahead and let me know what you think. The next chapter will be up in the next week or so (though no promises as I do have heaps of assessment).

Thanks for reading! :D


	2. Not a Date

**Chapter Two:**

_Lucy POV._

It really was a long day at the office. I am utterly exhausted, and cannot wait until I get home so that I can crawl onto my nice, comfy bed. Earlier this afternoon I had told Levy I'd walk home for a change, with the intention of having some time alone and getting fresh air. Now I really wish she was still around with the car, but she's usually finished up before me and clocks out early… Oh well, no point complaining now.

I depart the office via the elevator, even though the ground floor is only two levels below. Stairs require too much effort at this time of day.

"Hey Lucy!" Wendy the receptionist calls as I wonder out of the elevator and into the foyer. Wendy is the youngest employee I know, yet is still relatively short for her age. Her long hair is a deep blue, reminding me of the colour of sapphires, and today it hangs in neat pigtails. She juggles study and work, and while she only works two days a week, she works inhumanly long shifts of up to ten hours at a time. I admire her dedication.

"Hey, what's up?" I reply.

"Did you hear that we're getting a newbie in tomorrow? Some guy from our sister company, Edalis Inc. I think it's called? Anyway I hear you'll be asked to show him around so you should probably get in a little earlier if you have a chance of getting your own work sorted," she suggests.

"Really?" I groan. I despise early starts. "Alright I better get home."

"Yeah sorry… I'll see you next time," she smiles apologetically and resumes her work.

Walking outside I notice it was getting late, and the swirling dark clouds overhead threatened to storm later on. Hurriedly I begin walking up to the river, when out of the corner of my eye I see a figure jogging towards me. It's Natsu. I already begin to redden as I always do when he's around.

"Lucy wait up!" he calls as he closes in. I stop walking and simply ogle him until he also comes to a halt. He looks concerned. "Are you walking home? Don't you usually drive to work?" he asks.

"Yeah," I respond casually. "I usually get a lift off of Levy, but she'd probably be home by now."

"Oh I see. And is your house far from here?" he questions.

"Umm… no it's maybe a forty minute walk that way," I point to the river. _Oh I hope he offers to take me home! That would be amazing! Calm down Lucy… that's unlikely to be the case. I'm sure he has better things to do._

"Hmm…" He contemplates, clearly unsatisfied by my answer. "It looks like you might get caught in the rain, and it's getting dark. May I escort you home?" He looks genuinely worried about me. I can hardly contain my excitement. _Play it cool,_ I tell myself.

"Sure!" I blurt out overenthusiastically. _Smooth Lucy. Very smooth_.

"Great," he responds, clearly both relieved and delighted. And with that we begin walking wordlessly towards my house. I feel the need to end the awkward silence, but I have no idea what to say.

"Thank you for walking me home," I finally manage. "Sorry to be such a bother."

"No, it's no bother at all. I'm more than happy to oblige," he smiles.

I find it difficult to come up with things to say, which is fine because Natsu finds heaps to talk about. I happily listen on with genuine interest, commenting and laughing like what I assume a normal person does. At one point he asks me about my living arrangements, to which I reply, "I rent a house with Levy. She works over in the office on the level above ours. She's really great! What about you?"

"Ah, I just live in an apartment with my cat Happy," he explains.

"Happy," I repeat, trying out the name. "Aw that so cute!" I cheer. He simply smiles in response.

It begins trickling down with rain. From out of nowhere, Natsu takes out an umbrella and hoists it over our heads. It's quite a small umbrella, so we end up walking shoulder-to-shoulder to compensate. I'm walking so close to him I can hardly bare it! I look up at him and an involuntary shiver runs through me. At this he slows and partially turns to look at me. We stop and suddenly I'm nervous. Have I done something wrong?

"Are you cold?" he asks, examining my not-so-modest clothing ensemble. I can't help but stare into his eyes stupidly, and for far too long. Before I could so much as shake my head, Natsu starts to remove his well-cherished scarf and thoroughly wraps it around my neck. No words could describe how stunned I am by the gesture. I am grateful and honoured.

"Th-thanks," I say. I've never seen him without his scarf… ever! Without it my eyes are drawn to his prominent collar bones where I begin to gawk, then quickly look away and blush.

"Well what do you know, it looks great on you Luce," Natsu beams. I just look down at my shoes and smile at myself. "Come on we should get going," he prompts.

"Right," I reply, and we again start off along the river. After only a minute or two of walking, the clouds seem to suddenly burst and the rain becomes heavy and intense. The rain in conjunction with the darkness is almost overwhelming, making the path ahead nearly invisible. I would have been screwed if Natsu hadn't been here with his umbrella.

"We should find cover," Natsu insists, and so we walk into the nearest open business, shaking off and collapsing the umbrella as we enter. I recognise the business instantly as the very posh and very expensive Japanese restaurant '_Anteiku'. _The restaurant is traditionally decorated with Shoji rice paper walls and tatami mat flooring. There are even Kotatsu tables for dining! The décor has left me awestruck, and (obliging by Japanese custom) I remove my shoes at the door before proceeding in to investigate the rest of the establishment. Natsu follows suit.

We are approached by an elderly Japanese gentleman, who welcomes us and asks us if we'd be eating in. I begin to kindly refuse when Natsu announces, "We'll be needing a table for two," and turns to smile in my direction.

I shake my head and begin to object, explaining that as lovely as the restaurant is, I simply couldn't afford it. Natsu says that it would be his pleasure to treat me to dinner, and as I start to object to the offer, he grabs my hand and leads me over to a table in the corner of the room. He waits for me to be seated before he himself sits down.

"Pinch me I'm dreaming…" I say dreamily, and quickly clap my hand over my mouth. _Did I seriously just say that out loud?_

"What's that Luce?" He raises an eyebrow at me, but I'm saved from the embarrassment of explaining myself as another employee asks if we wanted anything to drink before ordering. We both ask for green tea, and then revise the menu to decide what to have for the main. When the employee returns, I order a type of vegetable noodle soup, and Natsu has the same. Our meals are served in no time and were delicious! I had to resist the urge to slurp down the bowl!

We got to talking about a variety of usual and unusual things, such as whether or not the new guy would be cool. At one stage we debated whether or not dragons existed, and what they would look like, what they would eat and where they'd live if they did. It was becoming easier to talk to him as the night progressed.

At 9:00pm we leave the restaurant, and start back on the road to my house. The rain had finally quietened down, making the journey easier. We arrive at home too quickly, and I find myself on the doorstep, saying my goodbyes.

"Thanks for treating me to dinner," I grin, and instinctively lean in to kiss him on the cheek. I catch myself before it was too late, thinking better of the gesture. It's not like it was a date or anything. He just walked me home, like any real gentleman would… I think.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow at work," Natsu says. He seems almost disappointed. Or maybe I just imagined it.

"Yep, see ya," I call, and turn around to enter the house. I steal one last glance at Natsu, before closing the door gently.

Levy is sitting on the couch in the living room, reading another of her sciency-type books. She greets me as I walk in, but I barely notice as I hover over to the bathroom and have a quick shower, all the while reflecting on how romantic my night with Natsu felt. I pull on my comfy pyjamas and crawl into bed. Soon after, I fall asleep peacefully, with a ridiculous smile plastered on my face.

**End Chapter**

* * *

_Hey guys! Sorry that this chapter took a while to get out – I've just had heaps to do! Anyways I hope you enjoyed it! I'm already in the process of writing the next one, and please if you have any comments (good or bad) just let me know! Any bit of feedback helps!_


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